Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

अग्निहोत्रं च यज्ञाश्च व्रतदानतपांसि च । गंगायां लिंगपूजायाः कोट्यंशेनापि नो समाः

Transliteration

agnihotraṃ ca yajñāśca vratadānatapāṃsi ca | gaṃgāyāṃ liṃgapūjāyāḥ koṭyaṃśenāpi no samāḥ

Translation

Agnihotra, yajña, nazar, sedekah dan tapa—semuanya itu tidak setara walau dengan sepersejuta bahagian pemujaan Liṅga di Sungai Gaṅgā.

Word by Word

• अग्निहोत्रम्: Agnihotra rite
• अग्निहोत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्निहोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; Nominative/Accusative Singular (neuter)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• यज्ञाः: sacrifices
• यज्ञाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; Nominative Plural (masculine)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• व्रतदानतपांसि: vows, gifts, and austerities
• व्रतदानतपांसि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत + दान + तपस् (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; Nominative/Accusative Plural (neuter)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• गङ्गायाम्: in the Ganga
• गङ्गायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; Locative Singular (feminine)

• लिङ्गपूजायाः: of the worship of the liṅga
• लिङ्गपूजायाः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग + पूजा (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (लिङ्गस्य पूजा); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; Genitive Singular (feminine)

• कोट्यंशेन: even by a croreth part
• कोट्यंशेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि + अंश (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कोट्याः अंशः); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; Instrumental Singular (masculine)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/अपि-कार (particle: even/also)

• नः: of us / our
• नः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; Genitive Plural pronoun (our)

• समाः: equal
• समाः: Pradhana-kriya-visheshana (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; Nominative Plural (masculine); predicate adjective

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī-sannidhi)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a Kāśī ghat, a devotee stands knee-deep in the Gaṅgā, offering bilva leaves and flowers to a Śiva-liṅga set on a small pedestal, with priests, lamps, and river shimmer; distant Viśvanātha spires and boats frame the sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Śiva-liṅga
• Agnihotra
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Place-sanctified devotion—Liṅga worship in the Gaṅgā—is exalted as surpassing many classical Vedic and dharmic observances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā-tīrtha in Kāśī, as the setting that magnifies Liṅga worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pūjā performed in/at the Gaṅgā is recommended as exceptionally meritorious.